אות - ד

In these times, it is very difficult for a religious person to have wealth. To obtain riches, he must suffer a great spiritual decline. Yet even after this, there is no guarantee of wealth – for even the wicked or irreligious can be poor. If one is truly religious, then one is far from riches.

When the Temple was destroyed, wealth fell into the realm of the kelipot or evil husks. 5 According to Kabbalah, the kelipah or husk is the evil surrounding the good kernel (cf. Sefer HaYashar 1). It is written, “She fell with wonders” (Lamentations 1:9) . In Hebrew, “wonders” is PeLA'IM . Transpose the letters and you have ALaPhIM , the “thousands” (of wealth). The verse then reads, “The thousands fell.”

The thousands of wealth have fallen astonishingly. They have fallen so deeply, it is a wonder. If one covets these thousands, one too must fall with them. But even then, one is not assured of riches.

Therefore, it is very difficult for a truly religious person to become wealthy. There are some rich tzaddikim and religious people, but their wealth is burdensome and harms their devotions. And though they seem wealthy, they still do not have the ready millions of the irreligious. For true wealth and Godliness are now unlikely to be found together.

My grandfather, Rabbi Nachman Horodenker, of blessed memory (see note 69, p. XX) , once spoke on the verse, “Long life is in her right hand, and in her left, wealth and honor” (Proverbs 3:16) . The Talmud asks if this means that the right hand of Torah can provide only long life, but not wealth and honor. It answers that since it can provide long life, then certainly it can provide wealth and honor ( Shabbat 63a) .

My grandfather explained that by logic and inference from the verse, those who have long life should also have wealth and honour. It is fitting that the righteous should have wealth, but actually they do not have it. 6 Cf. Likutey Halakhot , Geneivah 2:9; Parparaot LeChokhmah 12:2.